The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history, resulting in over 500,000 deaths and over 300,000 injuries (Roark 543-543). You might ask: What caused such internal tension in the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was a nascent nation, but it was overwhelming the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. Furthermore, immigrants were migrating from their homeland to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of African slaves were traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American South. Separated from family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days on end, the issue of slavery was at the heart of the Civil War (Roark 493-494). The North's growing dissent in favor of slavery and the South's dependence on slavery is why the Civil War was an inevitable conflict. In this essay we will discuss the issue of slavery, states' rights, American expansion into Western territories, economic differences, and its effects on the inevitable civil war. Slavery was at the heart of the conflict between the North and the South. Slavery has existed in the New World since the 17th century before it was racially exclusive. There were few social and political concerns about slavery in those days. Initially, slaves were considered indentured servants who would eventually be freed after paying their debts to the owner. In some cases the owners were Africans with white servants. However, over time slavery became exclusive to Africans and was not limited to a specific period of time, but to life. Furthermore, the treatment of slaves worsens from the Atlantic slave trade to...... middle of paper ...... to keep the Southern economy dependent on slaves (Roark 444-445). In conclusion, the Civil War was an inevitable conflict because of slavery. All of the aspects mentioned require slavery for there to be conflict. Additionally, all states that seceded from the Union indicated that slavery was their primary issue. Unless the North continued to allow slavery in the South and the expanding Western territories, conflict would surely erupt. Furthermore, once the idea of ​​money became an issue for slave owners, there was no doubt that a war would break out. Every compromise initiated by the federal government failed to satisfy either side, and violence occurred in Kansas. Slavery is the crux of the inevitable civil war, and it took war to abolish it. Works Cited Roark, James L. The American Promise: A Compact History. 4th. and. Volume 1: 1877. New York: BEDFORD/ST. MARTIN'S, 2010. Print.